Frederick Steele
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- For the English footballer of the same name, see Freddie Steele (footballer).
| Frederick Steele | |
|---|---|
| January 14, 1819 – January 19, 1868 | |
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| Place of birth | Delhi, New York |
| Place of death | San Mateo, California |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Years of service | 1843–67 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Battles/wars | Mexican-American War American Civil War - Battle of Wilson's Creek - Camden Expedition |
Frederick Steele (January 14, 1819 – January 19, 1868) was a career military officer in the United States Army, serving as a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was most noted for his successful campaign to retake much of secessionist Arkansas for the Union cause.
Steele was born in Delhi, New York. He was an 1843 graduate of West Point, and later served in the Mexican-American War, where he participated in many engagements. Steele was meritoriously mentioned for distinguished bravery, and was promoted to first lieutenant in June 1848. He served in California until 1853, and then principally in Minnesota Territory, Kansas Territory, and Nebraska Territory until the Civil War, receiving his captain's commission on 5 February 1855.
With the outbreak of the Civil War, Steele was commissioned as a major in the volunteer service in May 1861. He commanded a brigade in Missouri and fought at the Battle of Wilson's Creek. Steele was promoted to colonel of the 8th Iowa Infantry in September, and then to brigadier general in February 1862. He played a crucial role in the Union military effort throughout the Trans-Mississippi Theater and was promoted to major general in April 1863. He successfully captured Confederate-held Little Rock in September 1863 and subsequently pushed official Union boundaries south through the state. He led the ill-fated Camden Expedition in the spring of 1864, which was considered by many in the War Department as the greatest Federal military disaster of the Civil War in Arkansas.
Steele led a column in the Mobile campaign, and at the close of the war received the brevet of brigadier general, Regular Army, for services in the capture of Little Rock, and that of major general for services during the war. He was then transferred to Texas and placed in command on the Rio Grande. He subsequently commanded the Department of the Columbia from December 1865 until November 1867, when he took a leave of absence for health reasons. Steele died two months later in San Mateo, California.
An impressive monument to Steele stands on the Vicksburg National Military Park.
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography.
